1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an easy-to-use metered dispensing cap for tubes and other types of containers. In particular, this invention is directed to a cap system which permits metered amounts of material to be repeatedly dispensed from the side of the cap as desired. By squeezing the container, the metered cap is filled as it is pushed upward; by being opened at the side and pushed downward, the cap dispenses the material, closes the side opening and is repositioned for the next usage.
2. Prior Art Statement
Numerous patents describe various types of dispensing caps and the industry is inundated with various designs which are sometimes complicated in operation and/or complex to manufacture. The art goes back decades, and the following patents describe different types of dispensing caps and systems that are exemplary:
Early United States Patents were directed to metering systems involving designs which typically utilize the full length of a cylindrical chamber to create a volume for the dispensing of a liquid or a semiliquid material. U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,926,367 and 2,205,082 illustrate these types of early dispensing containers. Dispensing systems involving chambers or traps at the tops of the containers were subsequently developed and these are exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,591,455 and 3,089,623.
More recent United States Patents describe measuring and dispensing caps which involve squeeze bottles and/or pump mechanisms for dispensing of liquid and semiliquid materials. Thus, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,077,547; 4,364,492; 4,376,495 and 4,518,105 described various types of dispensing systems using trap chambers with squeezable bottles and/or pump mechanisms.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,603, issued to the inventor herein, describes a metered dispensing cap for tubes wherein the container is squeezed to fill a meter element or chamber and a cap is removed and the top element depressed to dispense a metered amount of fluid. Unlike the present invention, however, this prior art device dispenses from the top and requires that a cap be screwed off to dispense and screwed back on to permit resetting for refilling the chamber and redispensing.
Notwithstanding formidable prior art in the metered dispensing field, none of the prior art systems describe a simple metered chamber mechanism such as is described in the present invention wherein squeezing the container to fill, lifting a collar to open and pressing the top for dispensing results in a simple metered dispensing of a fluid and a complete closing and resetting of the mechanism.